Voice for the People (VftP) is a council list that was created on 4th of January 1456 (2008 rl) by Loyats Bucklin to run for the council of Sussex.
The Agenda.
As stated by Loyats himself Vftp was founded as an election list to counter the then ruling list Public Servants of Sussex. While it was not aimed to counter the actions or opinions of any particular individual, or the group, but rather to give a choice, and allow for disagreement with the long-standing council, many considered Loyats and his list to be a protest for the sake of the protest.
Loyats came up with the following set of eight principals for the campaign of VftP:
1. Transparency. 2. Separation of Power. 3. Solidarity of Office. 4. Re-visitation of the Legal Corpus. 5. Promotion of Town Charters. 6. Promotion of Charitable Programs. 7. Reorganization of Sussex's Governmental Offices. 8. Accountability of Action.
The election of the Sussex Council XVI
Public Servants retained their majority with 57.1% of the votes, which translated to 7 seats, while Voice for the People gave a credible showing for their first appearance by earning the remaining 5 seats with 42.9% of the votes.
Following the elections, Loyats Bucklin appealed to the Voice for the People list to continue their service within their capacity despite not attaining seats in Council. He went on to urge for the most capable person to be voted for Count, while suggesting that important posts be retained by incumbent council members from Public Servants.
The controversy
On February 24th 1456, three weeks after the election, Loyats Bucklin publicly announced his desire to quit the council. He motivated his actions with the following words:
“Yes, Loyats is a coward, a quitter, and weak. He failed the people of Sussex, was unable to fight the brick wall, and in antics much akin to a small spoiled child has decided to "run away".
But let it also be said that no person can fight any battle alone, especially when some fights are started simply for the point of conflict.
One can not fight against people who claim to be individuals yet do not wish to be held accountable individually.
One can not fight against people who feel real, measurable improvement is not reason enough for change.
One can not fight against people who believe the people of a government have no right to see how said government works.
One can not fight against people who say any thing brought up is "change for the sake of change", when in fact they are holding on to their traditions for the simple sake that they are traditions.
But yes, I am weak, I am a coward, I am quiting, and I will not return to such endevours, but i am not a liar... I know these things will be said, I should at least be the first to say them.”
Following his statement, Loyats went on removing his own tongue, forefingers, ears, and eyes in his own house in Canterbury. This act of self mutilation caused a strong reaction from many different people.
Future of VftP
While Voice for the People was not a political party in a common sense, but rather a list of individuals who were striving for a common goal, removal of Loyats from the list has left it members without a clear goal.
Sources
--Brahmaparush 09:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)